An Understanding
by IntoTheTwilightRPG
Summary: Edward and Jasper discuss Bella Swan and Edward's feelings towards her, both as a love interest and a potential meal.


_This is a thread from the YahooGroups RPG Into The Twilight entitled "An Understanding. In this scene Edward is returning from running all night in an attempt to purge the images in Alice's visions. It is the day after the confrontation in the Cullen family dining room as featured in Midnight Sun regarding whether or not Bella Swan should be killed after Edward potentially exposed the family saving her from Tyler Crowley's van. Jasper, of course, was of the opinion that Bella should be killed before Alice revealed that Edward would either kill her himself or change her into a vampire. After this, Jasper relented his position that Bella should be killed but was quite upset that Edward was in love with a human, a situation he deemed "unnatural", until Alice calmed him down and made him consider Edward's point of view in the thread entitled "Meeting Adjourned"._

The sun was just rising behind the thick cover of clouds, diffusing through them and casting a dim light through the forest when Edward began to head back to Forks. He had been gone since yesterday afternoon, running with no real destination as he sought to empty his mind of Alice's visions. Still as much as he ran, the images of Bella's face in Alice's precarious future had haunted him relentlessly throughout the night. One moment Bella would be frozen, immortal, her eyes as red as blood as she stared back at him from his mind and then he would see her face cold and lifeless, her broken body lying limp in his arms. Either way, it caused him immense pain to think these were the only options left to him.

As he neared the river he caught a familiar scent on the breeze. Jasper... Edward cut an arc through the trees and headed in the direction of his brother. He wondered what he could possibly be doing out in the forest alone but as he drew closer another scent reached him. Deer. Jasper was out hunting alone before school, the better to rein in his thirst and strengthen his shaky self control.

It never seemed to get easier and lately Jasper had found himself feeding more heavily than usual. Since coming to Forks with Alice, and despite his qualms at Alice's request, he had enrolled at Forks High. Alice felt that it would help his self control, but in the many years since he'd began repeating high school, he still felt as if he were just falling back to square one each day. Once again, in the early morning hours, he found himself crouching over the carcass of a deer that was nearly drained.

Jasper felt sickened at himself, lending credence to the urgency, in which he fed. The extra hunting trips were always done in private. He was far too embarrassed by his crutch to ask someone to go with him although he was almost certain Edward knew about them. In a way he supposed he was thankful to Edward for not saying anything about it. This particular weakness was not something he took lightly and he often found himself envious of the others because of it. They didn't have to take extra precautions nor did they have any trouble walking through a school building. If only Peter and Charlotte could see him now. Major Jasper Whitlock bent over a deer carcass in an attempt to chase off the weakness that constantly plagued him.

Edward came to the edge of a clearing and spotted Jasper there, finishing up his meal. He stayed at the edge of the tree line, leaning against a pine and folding his hands in front of him as he waited. Watching the desperation with which Jasper fed he couldn't help but feel guilty for the remark he'd made yesterday about what would have happened had he not stopped the van. He knew it had cut Jasper to the quick when he'd said it and revealed his vulnerability to everyone, especially as afraid as he was of disappointing Alice in anything. But beyond exposing his weakness, he had implied that Jasper would have put Alice in danger and that, more than anything else, was what Edward found so unforgivable about his comment. He knew that Jasper would sooner die than to ever put Alice in harm's way.

He contemplated leaving and talking to Jasper later on in the day. Surely this was not something he was meant to see. Jasper might want privacy, he thought, regarding these extra hunting trips as a sign of failure on his part. It certainly would fit in with everything he knew of Jasper, having read his thoughts for years now. He turned quietly and prepared to leave.

As the last few drops of the deer's life blood drained out, Jasper caught a familiar scent. He pulled up in a blur and sniffed the air, frozen in place, his eyes, still wild from the bloodlust as they focused in the early morning light. A wave of guilt hit him from behind, causing Jasper to whip his gaze around and find Edward walking away. His own shame threatened to consume him when he realized Edward had seen everything. He glanced down toward the deer at his feet, guilt filling him and surrounding him from all sides, both his own and Edward's.

Jasper's thoughts became aware of him and Edward hesitated but didn't turn back around to face him. He had been right to suspect that Jasper wouldn't have wanted him to see this but it was too late now. He stopped walking, his back still turned, not saying anything.

Edward's words yesterday had rung true, cutting through him like a knife through butter. Jasper had known all along that it would happen, no matter how hard he tried, no matter how many extra precautions he took, he would eventually expose them all. He'd always known he was no different than had been before he'd found Alice. His life style had changed but inside he was still the same ruthless killer that he'd always been. His thoughts flashed quickly through his time in Maria's service, moving from battle to battle, to his thoughtless acts of murder as he twisted off the heads of newborns and dismembered them one at a time. They were no different than the deer crumbled and drained at his feet. His hand fluttered to his mouth as if he wanted to vomit.

His mind flashed to the scene of what would have been if, in fact, Bella had been killed. Blood spreading across the concrete, an open invitation which he wouldn't have failed to ignore. He was sickened by the image of himself crouched over her body, greedily lapping up the blood as it poured out of her broken body. Then his thoughts fell on Alice. What would have happened to her? Would she have forgiven him? Or would he have become so completely enveloped in his frenzy that he would've turned on her as a threat had she tried to stop him?

Edward had been about to turn and offer some words of comfort to Jasper regarding his self doubt and the violent visions of his past that always seemed to plague him. However, when Jasper's thoughts had turned to Bella and the disturbing images he had painted yesterday as to what Jasper might have done, Edward's thirst flared mercilessly causing him to reach out and grasp a nearby tree for support. His fingers dug into the bark, the wood splintering beneath his hand as he fought to steady himself. He took a deep breath, pulling in the earthy smell of the surrounding forest as he tried to clear Bella's scent from his brain, his throat aching at its memory.

He took one staggering step, determined to leave and escape Jasper's rioting thoughts but feared that if he started running again he would find himself not heading away from town like before but into it. Into Forks and to the Swan residence, hell-bent on satiating the thirst that raged within him, awakened and undeniable and magnified by Jasper's own.

Jasper's hand fell away from his lips as Edward started to move off. He stepped away from the deer, hesitating momentarily. "Edward?" he asked, the expression on his face a mixture of confusion and also guilt that Edward had seen him in his weakest moment. _'Please don't tell Alice..._' he voiced mentally, his eyes pleading.

Edward clenched his teeth against the lingering pain, shaking his head in agreement. "Of course not," he gasped, dropping his hand from the pine and leaning heavily against the tree. "I won't say a word." Relief washed over him as Jasper's thoughts shifted to Alice, her impish face like a breath of fresh air compared to the violence and bloodlust that had filled them moments before.

Jasper's expression became apologetic watching Edward's discomfort as he leaned against the tree and gritted his teeth in an attempt to purge out his thoughts. Sighing quietly, Jasper turned his gaze down toward the deer again and felt another pang of guilt. Sometimes he hated himself so much that it sickened him to look at any of them especially when they held such high hopes in him.

"Thank you," he mumbled, grateful that Edward would keep it between them. None of the others knew and he wanted to keep it that way. They didn't need to know how deep his weakness went. Carlisle would surely be disappointed if he knew how truly weak he really was.

Edward swallowed the venom flooding his mouth with some difficulty, turning to face Jasper with a brittle smile. He had heard Jasper's inner monologue and it had only fueled his guilt at having said the things he had yesterday afternoon. They had been at odds then, very close to fighting each other over their differing views of how to handle the situation regarding Bella. Still, despite this, he held no ill feelings towards Jasper. He couldn't, he realized suddenly. The same monster that lurked within his brother also lurked within him and that had never been more apparent than it was now. In fact for the first time he felt he understood Jasper more than he ever had before, even with being able to read his mind.

Jasper feared his lack of self control. He feared killing and disappointing the one he loved. Edward now feared his lack of self control as well, but he feared killing and destroying the one he loved. They were similar and yet different, but enough alike that he felt a sudden kinship to the tortured soul standing before him.

"Why are you here?" Jasper asked, mildly confused as to what Edward would be doing in the middle of the woods so early although he assumed he was just getting back from where ever he went when he took off yesterday. What he was confused about was why he'd sought him out. The others didn't normally go out of their way to consult him for his wisdom. In fact, he often found himself doing his best to avoid being the center of attention, unless he didn't have a choice. He took a few tentative steps closer, folding his hands together behind his back.

Edward sighed, raking a hand through his windblown hair. "I came to apologize," he said softly. "I said some very untoward things yesterday. I find them to be regrettable as well as inexcusable." Sadness and shame at his admission swirled through him and he made no attempt to hide them from Jasper, allowing him to see how true his words were.

Jasper sighed quietly, nodding as Edward apologized, weighing his apology in his mind. Words failed him as Edward's emotions cut in. He couldn't deny the shame and sadness that he felt. He was truly sorry for his actions, not just apologizing to make himself look good. Jasper remained quiet, taking in his brother's emotions. He unlinked his hands from behind his back and brought them around in front of him, worrying one of the buttons on the cuff of his navy blue button down shirt before shifting his eyes up to Edward.

"It's ok, really..." he said in a soft tone, removing his gaze from his brother to let it drift to the ground. "I mean, I expect it eventually, so I suppose you're not too far off the mark..." he said, frowning slightly at the truth of his own words. They burned him to even speak them. "My self control is...quite shaky so it won't be a big surprise, when I do finally expose us all," he mumbled quietly, shifting his eyes back to his brother.

Jasper fell quiet then, looking down at his shoes as he shuffled his foot around in the grass and folded his hands together in front of him. He was a private individual, preferring to suffer in silence and alone instead of being babied and cooed over. He was stronger than that.

Edward said nothing. He knew Jasper didn't wish for anyone's pity. In fact, pity would be an insult and Edward felt he had insulted Jasper enough.

Jasper made a habit of deflecting all pity from any of them and in doing so distanced himself from the others. Out of all of them, he found he held a quiet bond with Esme, often seeking her out whenever he felt he needed an extra boost of confidence. Now, it seemed Edward was reaching out to him, attempting to apologize for something he himself believed anyway. He knew Edward held very little faith in him but now wasn't the time to discuss it.

"You're wrong, you know," Edward said, his voice even. "About thinking yourself weak, about what you think my opinion is. I'm the mind reader, not you," he said with a quiet smile. "If you truly want to know what I think, it's this: I hold a great deal of respect for you. Your transition into this family has not been easy. I've seen you struggle, perhaps more intimately than any of the others due to my ability, and yet you always manage to exert control over what you used to be. I myself never lived that life and yet I came closer to killing Bella Swan than you ever have come to killing a human since coming here. If anyone is the weak link, it appears it would be me."

Jasper lifted his gaze to Edward's as he began to speak. There was a sort of reverence in his tone that caught his attention. Smirking, Jasper shook his head. In a way, hearing Edward's admission made him feel better about himself. He wasn't the only one struggling like he'd thought. He wasn't alone. In another way, however, he felt selfish that this made him feel better. He sighed, eyeing Edward quietly, before speaking.

"Don't give me too much credit..." he mused quietly with a chuckle. "It's more than I deserve." So, he hadn't killed a school full of children today. It didn't mean he wouldn't slip tomorrow.

Edward didn't speak but simply nodded in understanding. He found himself in the same predicament. He hadn't killed Bella yesterday but what would sitting next to her at school today do to his precarious self control?

"It's nice to know how you really feel about me. I suppose I've been wrong in my own assumptions," he said, his voice remaining low and quiet. "I also suppose I owe you an apology myself..." he said, leveling his gaze fully on his brother. "I shouldn't have acted so irrationally. Sometimes I find it difficult to draw the line..."

"I can understand your thought process," Edward said, quietly. "One of the advantages of reading minds... I just couldn't allow you to follow through because... Well you know my feelings...perhaps better than anyone."

Jasper nodded in response. "Yes, I suppose I do understand them more than the others. Although I must admit for awhile I found them confusing... I didn't understand what you could see in a human," he admitted. He still couldn't bring himself to understand Alice's affections for them, 62 years later. He'd never viewed them as anything other than meals despite Alice's attempts to get him to see them as friends, instead of the former.

Edward shrugged. "Not that I would have allowed it anyway. We all have our moments where it is hard to resist our nature and we have to support each other. I think you would have hated yourself, afterwards..."

"Yes, I probably would have..." Jasper admitted, trying to think about the alterative for Edward's sake.

"I know I will when I finally give in and take her life," Edward said, his voice strained.

"I don't believe that...that you will inevitably kill her," Jasper said with a slight frown. "If I can do it... I think you can. Besides, if she's truly what you want... Which I don't agree with, by the way..." he added, with a pointed look. "But if she's truly what you want I think you'll find a way," he said, letting a smile push through at the corners of his mouth.

Edward shrugged. "Killing her is the more likely of the two options Alice sees..."

"More likely?" Jasper asked, lifting an eyebrow. "You don't sound very confident in that..." he said, giving him a speculative look.

"If Alice also sees that she becomes one of us someday, then there is a chance, however slight..."

Jasper fell quiet, listening to his brother, lending an ear as humans would call it. He wasn't sure what kind of support he could offer though. After all, he was normally the one faced with this sort of thing, not the others. But now he found himself comforting Edward as he confided in him. A part of him felt a bit uncomfortable as Edward laid everything out in the open and he wasn't exactly sure he was the best one to go to.

"Now who's self doubting? I don't think you will kill her," Jasper said, letting his gaze slide to his brother briefly. "You have much more self control than I'll ever have, or could ever wish to have. You can walk through school without risking the entire family to exposure," he said, with a slightly derived chuckle. "I can't... I'm not like you or your family. I didn't come from the same background and sometimes I wonder if I really belong here," he said, frowning slightly, a tinge of sadness in his eyes.

"They're your family, too," Edward said, fixing Jasper with a look that didn't invite argument. He smiled slightly. "Perhaps I have a greater insight into the truth of your situation here. There is not one among us who regards you as less than belonging. Alice, especially, would be heartbroken to know you felt that way, as would Esme."

Jasper nodded once before speaking. "Perhaps, everyone puts too much faith in me," he said, moving his gaze over to his brother, frowning when he mentioned Alice's name. "I could never hurt Alice..." he said, his southern accent thick with sadness. "It would destroy me to do so..." He gave a quiet sigh. "The memories of my own mother are dim. Esme has more than filled the void of a loving confidant. Even though I don't know how to return the love she gives me I know that she understands and continues to love me anyway. I also know that I could never bring myself to break her confidence or Carlisle's, which is funny because I'm not bound to any of them, or you for that matter. And yet...here I am doing what I can to uphold the confidence that everyone puts in me as if I were. I wonder if it's because I'm bound to Alice or perhaps if it is because in some way I have become bound to the rest of you..." he said, his voice trailing off.

Edward nodded. "My memories of my own mother as vague as well, as are those of my father. Carlisle created me but what ties me to him is more than that. Esme, Carlisle, Rosalie, Emmett, Alice, and you as well...you are all my family now, perhaps not by blood but by choice. Every day we stay here is a choice, a choice to be more than what we are. And that mutual choice, that's what makes us all belong."

Jasper nodded in understanding with a quiet smile, listening quietly as Edward spoke of the others. "I suppose I understand in a way..." he said.""Before coming here I'd never even given a thought to the possibility that vampires could live in coexistence with each other. However, I suppose you've read my mind so many times that you need no reminding of the kind of life I led..."

Edward tensed. "Yes, I've seen it. In its entirety." Jasper's musings regarding his past were rarely pleasant unless they happened upon a memory of his time with Alice before the two of them had come to join the family. His time in the Civil War was fascinating from a historical standpoint as well but more often than not, when he thought of his previous life, his mind hovered around his time spent with Maria during the infamous vampire wars of the south. Edward had relived the trauma of this time through Jasper's mind as though he himself had been there, fighting, killing and burning...

Jasper nodded but otherwise didn't say anything. He knew it bothered Edward to read his mind, not only because of the carnage he'd lived through, but because he wasn't always sure what he would be hearing when he tapped into it. "Just so we're clear..." he said, turning a pointed look to him, "I still think all of this with the Swan girl is ridiculous and that you've lost your mind..."

"Then we're in agreement because I think very much the same thing," Edward said, his face grim.

"Good. I'm glad we're in agreement that you've lost your sanity." he said wryly.

"It won't be an issue for long. Soon she'll be dead." Edward looked up, meeting Jasper's gaze. "Yes, I believe that will be the final outcome. Alice seems...more optimistic about the future but I can't bring myself to be. You know what I'm struggling against. It would be so easy to just let myself do it."

Jasper nodded lightly in response. "I do understand, more then you realize... But I think you're underestimating yourself, as well as Alice..." he said with a slight, knowing smile.

Edward snorted a laugh. "Normally I would never bet against her but so much of what she sees depends on my ability to resist and that ability is tenuous at best. That first day, when she sat next to me in biology, I nearly lost my mind. How could I possibly stand to love her, to be close to her, to change her without killing her?"

"But you didn't," Jasper interjected, holding up a finger in contrast. "You got through it. I think that speaks for something," he said as a smile formed on his lips.

Edward shook his head. "Think about it, Jasper. If Alice were human, if she had the sweetest blood you have ever encountered, could you stop yourself? Could you reach over to hold her hand even without pulling her into you and..."

Jasper's smile quickly faded however when Edward turned the tables. What if Alice _were_ human? "No," Jasper said as if the thought hurt him. "I don't think I could. I suppose I'm lucky that she's not human..." he mused. "But it doesn't mean that you can't resist. You've been doing this a lot longer than I have..."

"I don't think I can," Edward said, his face crumpling in pain. He tilted his head up to look at the sky, suddenly unable to meet Jasper's eyes as he took a deep breath to clear his head. "And now I have to go to that building and sit in that room, so close to her..." He sighed. "I honestly have no idea what to do," he admitted, leaning back against the tree again and crossing his arms over his chest. "I should leave but Alice is right. I can't..."

"Do you really think leaving is the answer?" Jasper asked, lifting an eyebrow.

"It would be the safest course of action, yes," Edward stated simply.

"I think your wrong..." Jasper added quietly. "Hold your breath..." he offered. "That's what I do and it helps some..."

"I did," Edward said sadly. "It hardly made a difference. I've never experienced anything like it. I have found humans tempting before but not like this..."

Jasper frowned slightly, noting Edward's saddened mood. "Don't give up, just yet..." he said, reassuring him. Still, he himself had never encountered such a problem. Humans to him all smelled the same. He'd not been away from them long enough to differentiate between the scents and he had been indiscriminate in his feeding habits. "I've not smelled a difference..." Jasper said with a slight frown. "She smells the same to me. Of course, they all do," he added.

"Emmett said he encountered something similar once," Edward said, his throat burning with the combined memory of Bella's scent and recalling Emmett's story. "A woman hanging laundry on a country road who appealed to him in much the same way scent wise. He didn't last a second."

A laugh escaped Jasper's lips at the mention of Emmett. "See? You've lasted longer than him," he said as if Edward should feel proud.

Edward raked his hand through his hair and frowned, unable to share Jasper's enthusiasm. "I suppose it's only the fact that I made it through that initial encounter that opened up the possibility of Bella becoming what we are. But either way you look at it, Jasper, I will kill her. I will take her life. One future ends in a grave and one ends here, frozen forever into an endless hell... If I truly do love her, can I condemn her to either fate?"

"I can understand why you wouldn't want her turned..." Jasper said, with a slight frown. "But wouldn't it be so much easier just to…end all of the suffering?"

"Neither option ends the suffering," Edward said quietly. "I kill her and her life is cut short. Unforgivable. And I go on to suffer with the guilt. I change her and she suffers immortality. And I suffer having her hate me for it."

Jasper fell silent, mentally weighing the options in his mind. "You know... neither option has to come true. After all, Alice's visions are based on decisions so they can change," he said, lifting an eyebrow. "I normally don't give this much advice or really talk this much so consider yourself lucky," he added with a chuckle. "I may have to start charging though."

Edward laughed, the sound hollow even to his own ears. "Well, thank you. I think you're probably the only person who can understand."

"Yes, well being an empath has its advantages..." Jasper mused. "Unfortunately it sometimes has drawbacks, as well..." he said, frowning slightly.

Edward nodded at Jasper's comment before sighing and throwing his hands up in the air. "I honestly have no idea what to do," he admitted, leaning back against the tree again and crossing his arms over his chest. "I should leave but Alice is right. I can't..."

"No, I don't think leaving is the answer, Edward..." Jasper said, cocking his head slightly and studying him. "Leaving is the cowardly thing to do...Running away from your problems..."

Edward nodded, pressing his lips together in a thing line. "Of course you're right," he said with a strained smile. He cocked his head to the side as though hearing something far away. It was Alice's mind, the bright soprano of her voice even in her thoughts as familiar and easy to detect as though she were standing right next to him. "Alice is looking for you," he said, his eyes showing a slight bit of humor despite his situation. "Clothes," he explained.

Jasper's eyes widened slightly, worried as he glanced back toward the direction of the house. "She can wait..." he said in an attempt to put her off, his mouth turning down in a slight frown.

Edward quirked an eyebrow. "Alice and patience are two things that rarely go together," he said with a chuckle. "Are you certain you're willing to risk it?"

"Yes..." Jasper said with a loving smile, dusting the grass and dirt off of his jeans. "You're right. Patience is a quality she doesn't possess and we should probably get back before she comes barreling through the trees, clothes in hand..." he said shifting his gaze toward the trees as if she just might.

Edward laughed at the idea, the sound genuine and shocking even to his ears.

"I enjoy your company, Edward..." Jasper said, giving him a meaningful look. "But, sometimes I don't quite understand you... Actually, I don't really understand any of you. Except Rose... She makes the most sense." He flashed him a smile before starting toward the trees.

Edward laughed again. "That is a truly terrifying thought," he said, chuckling. He followed Jasper into the trees and took off running towards the house, his smile already fading as he anticipated the day to come and wondered what it would bring.

"Still, you're the only other person on this planet that I would trust with Alice's well being," Jasper admitted

Edward smiled. "That means a lot to me, Jasper. Thank you."

"No problem. Glad I could help," he said with a slight smile. "Seems I owe you quite a bit."

"Owe me? Whatever for?" Edward asked with a puzzled look.

"Many things..." Jasper replied with sigh. "Mainly for your continuous devotion to screening my thoughts in order to keep me from massacring the entire school," he said, frowning slightly. "I know it can't be easy for you...to deal with the feedback, the added thirst. If it weren't for Alice's presence, I doubt I would last very long."

Edward chuckled, shaking his head. "Well, just keep that in mind, will you? About Alice, I mean. Apparently she's had Paris on the phone and someone is due for a complete wardrobe overhaul. She's already planning a mini fashion show for Rose and Esme so you can model all the new things she's ordered for you when they arrive." Edward laughed, sprinting forward with a new burst of speed to leave Jasper in his wake.

"What?" Jasper's eyes widened, in horror. "What do you mean wardrobe over haul?" he asked in a slightly nervous tone as he took off running after Edward, clearly fearing the little creature that was his wife. "F-fashion show?" he stammered, his expression freezing in a look of horror. "Oh no, no, no..." he said, shaking his head. "I'm not... I can't...do that..." He moved a hand up to rub his temples. "Why?"

"You think you're the only one she plays dress up with?" Edward asked incredulously as he ran.

Keeping pace, Jasper laughed. "Yes, I suppose your right..." he admitted. "It's funny because in the face of an army of newborns, I'm as cool as can be. But put me in the face of Alice when she's on a clothes kick and I completely fall apart..." he said.

Edward nodded in agreement. "You see this sweater? This is from the Alice Cullen Fall 2009 show that she made me do for Esme and Rose. I think even Carlisle and Em have fallen victim before."

Jasper couldn't help but break into laughter when Edward pointed out his sweater, picked out by Alice. "I remember that..." he mused, giving him a sideways glance. "She said she was very impressed with your model walk," he commented, stifling a snicker. "But she said you were kind of stiff..."

"Ha ha," Edward replied, dryly. "Grin and bear it, that's the best policy. Otherwise you'll just have to deal with the pouts and the tears and I don't know about you, but I've never been very successful at it," he said with a laugh. "She always seems to get her way. She's just...Alice."

"Yes, that would be a drawback..." Jasper said, frowning slightly. "I could never bring Alice to tears and she knows it... If she starts sobbing, even a little bit, I'll crumble and give in," he admitted.

Edward grimaced as they ghosted through the trees. "You and I both," he agreed. "Even though I know it's to manipulate me, I can't resist. She's diabolical."

Jasper simply nodded and sighed. "You have no idea..." He said, quietly. "It's hard to tell if it's actual sobbing, or a trick. She's learned how to work around my abilities. Very good actress." He commended. "She once conned me into accompanying her on a shopping trip... I felt sorry for her because nobody else would go. She cried and sobbed and my will crumbled. I spent 5 hours following her around, acting as a walking shopping cart..."

"I don't doubt it," Edward laughed. They had reached the house. Edward nodded to one of the upstairs windows. "She's waiting for you, not sure where you've been. Tell her you went to take a run with me because I needed to talk. I'll collaborate your story for you so she doesn't have to know about--" He gave Jasper a nod. "I need to change myself. I can't very well go to school in the clothes I wore yesterday. Too suspicious..."

As they reached the door, Jasper slowed his pace, nodding in response to Edward as they neared the porch and followed Edward's gaze to the upstairs window. Alice was waiting; something about it seemed ominous, foreboding.

"Thanks..." Jasper said with an appreciative smile as they stepped into the house. "I owe you one..." he added, giving him a sideways look before breezing up the stairs.


End file.
